Improvement in thill-couplings



rfnonnls. Thin-couplings.

PatehtedFeb. 24,1874,

'No.vl47,964.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FREDERICK NORRIS, OF VAPFINGERS FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF HISRIGHT TO CLAYTON E. SWEET, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN THlLL-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,964, dated February24, 1874; application filed January 10, 1874.

To all vwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK NoRRIs, of Tappingers Falls, in the countyof Dutchess and State of New York, have invented an Anti-Battling Deviceto be Applied to Thill- Couplings, of which the followin g is aspecification:

This invention consists in a device intended to be applied to theordinary thill-couplingnow in common use, for the purpose of preventingthe rattling` of the shafts or thills therein, and obviating the wearconsequently occasioned.` Such device is composed of a block ofindiarubber, shaped in front to conform to the rounded end of the thill,two caps 0r plates iitted to its top and bottom and lapping over itsbach edges, and a bolt or screw extending through the block from one tothe other of the aforesaid plates, whereby provision is afforded forsqueezing' thc block transversely to expand it in the direction of thethill, thereby to cause it to press against it and prevent rattling;

The great merit of this device is that the contrivances which expand itare all a part of it, and are entirely independent of the coupling towhich it is applied.

Figure l in the accompanying drawing is a top view of an ordinarythill-coupling having applied to it the anti-rattling device which isthe subject of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of thesame, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the anti-rattler detached fromthe coupling.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thelgures.

A represents the fore axle of a wagon or other vehicle; B, one of thethills thereof, and

C the coupling connecting it thereto. I desire to call special attentionto the coupling being of the form in common use, without any adaptationwhatever to suit the anti-rattling device. It consists merely of ajack-clip, which embraces the axle, and has on its front two lugs thatreceive the end of the thill, and likewise receive the bolt whichsecures itin place. There is always in these couplings, in rear of thethill, a small space, as may be seen in Fig. l, aifording ample room forthe anti-rattlin g device, which I now purpose to describe. It consistsof a block, D, of india-rubber or other elastic material, madepreferably of rectangurubber.

lar form., with its front hollowed out to adapt it to iit snugly againstthe rounded end of the thill. Plates E E fiton the upper and lower4sides of this block, and, lapping over its back vturn of the screw whena screw is used, will draw the plates E E toward each other and squeezethe rubber, so that it will be expanded against the thill again.

It will be noticed that the bolt is arranged nearer the rear side of therubber than its fore side. Owing to this it exerts a tendency to throwout the fore side rather than the rear side, when it is caused tosqueeze the On account of this provision for repeatedly expanding therubber it will remain serviceable for a very long time, for, indeed, itwill only need renewing when it can no longer be expanded to impingeagainst the .thills To facilitate the insertion of the device in acoupling, its bolt or screw is loosened to permit the rubber to compactlaterally, whereby it is made much narrower, and this also will be doneto facilitate its removal.

The great merit of this device is that the contrivances which produceits expansion are all contained in itself, and are nowise dependent onthe construction of the coupling; where` fore it is admirably adapted tothe common couplings, and can be applied to those already in use. Theneatness of the device is mani fest in the drawing', and therefore willneed no comment here.

That I claim as my invention is In combination with the elastic block D,the independent angle-shaped face-plates E E, connected with the blockby the compressing-bolt G, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

FREDK. NORRIS.

Witnesses MICHAEL RYAN, FRED. HAYNEs.

